Scream Of The Butterfly
by DeMarcos
Summary: A simple outing to Central City turns into an unexpected nightmare for DG and Azkadellia. Threequel to 'All My Life' and 'Going To The Chapel'. DGxAmbroseGlitch
1. Prologue

Title: Scream Of The Butterfly

Author: DeMarcos

Pairing: DG/AmbroseGlitch

Summary: A simple outing in Central City turns into a nightmare for DG and Azkadellia.

Notes: I'm ba-aaaacck! And it's all due to Innogen (her plot idea) and swampmusic (constant prodding). Much love!

* * *

Azkadellia stepped out of the rumbling automobile and worried her lower lip tersely, turning her head around to fill her senses with everything that made up the hustle and bustle of Central City. She then turned back to the car and extended her hand to DG, helping her exit the vehicle. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, both sisters watched as the citizens of the O.Z. strolled up and down the streets, while Cain gave last minute orders to the security detail that would be escorting them through the city.

A young couple passed by Az and DG, bowing their heads slightly to the princesses before continuing on their way. As the pair watched the couple stroll off, Cain then came up behind the sisters and placed his hand on DG's shoulder.

"We're ready to go. Just be careful and don't you two go wandering off."

DG snorted and glanced up into the pale eyes of her long time friend. "Just suck all the fun out of this trip, why don't you?"

Cain ignored the snide comment and gently pushed DG forward. Azkadellia slung her arm through her sister's, smiling as they began to walk down the cobbled streets, two guards up ahead of the them while Cain stayed behind them with two others. He watched them like a hawk as the pair greeted the people of the O.Z. with bright smiles, handshakes and hugs. Over the past few years, the citizens had warmed up considerably to Azkadellia, the fear of the witch that controlled her now a distant memory in the hearts and minds of the people.

DG watched as Az bent down to greet a little boy, sneaking a sweet into his hand while his parents pretended not to see the exchange, smiles playing on their faces as they exchanged pleasantries with the princesses. As the family walked away, DG nudged Azkadellia with her elbow, grinning wide.

"When did you get so good with kids, Az?"

Azkadellia linked their arms back together and pointed them down a winding street lined with antique store fronts and awnings that hovered above them like storm clouds. They made their way across the road, toward the shops. Her voice became distant and DG knew she had touched upon a sore spot.

"I realized long ago that I'll most likely never have children of my own, but that doesn't mean I have to shy away from them and act like they don't exist."

DG was going to apologize, not knowing her sister had wanted children so badly, but Cain said something to one of the guards behind them, causing DG to groan and run a hand through her long dark hair. Az knew that her sister truly hated having to be watched over constantly and despised their need for a guard. All those years spent on the Other Side had left the youngest princess with a free spirit that could not be quelled or contained, even to this day. Az craned her neck slightly to look back at the tin man before leaning closer to DG, whispering conspiratorially.

"We could always give Cain the slip, you know. Go have some _real_ fun."

DG gasped and raised an eyebrow at her sister. "Give Cain the slip? This _is_ Wyatt Cain we are talking about... He probably already knows what we are trying to do as we speak. Along with having a hundred plans on how to drag us back by our ears like a pair of unruly children."

Az was slightly shocked that DG was not excited about her plan to sneak off. Usually she was up for all sorts of mischief. "This alley branches off up ahead and with all these people around, we could slip away before he would even know we were gone."

Biting her lip for a moment, DG weighed the need to get away from the guards over not wanting to be chewed out by an angry Cain, before she nodded. Az grinned as they hastened their steps.

* * *

Cain kept a wary eye on the two sisters as they whispered back and forth to each other. He just _knew_, deep in his bones, that they we were planning something that would no doubt cause a headache for him, on top of making his job even harder. This was DG he was dealing with, troublemaker extraordinaire. He was already concerned because he had spotted someone follow them earlier on and the last thing he needed now was a pair of magically inclined princesses making the situation worse. Scanning the area for their tail as the merchant alley forked off to their right, he placed his hand on his pistol.

Azkadellia chanced a quick peek back at Cain and when she saw his attention elsewhere, she grabbed tugged sharply on DG's arm and the two of them slipped into the teeming masses and ran full tilt down the alley. Racing past the crowds of people, their rich laughter bounced off the narrow brick walls and echoed around them. The alley emptied out onto a main street after several moments, Az and DG stopping to catch their breath where the alley emptied out before heading off again. They'd come out in the seedier side of Central City and as they walked down the busy roads, they saw lewdly dressed women and men standing around on the street corners, calling out to passing pedestrians.

Music and rowdy laughter spilled out from the bars and music halls, filling the area with a multitude of tumultuous sounds, inviting all who listened to come in and indulge. Grinning to each other, the sisters made their way across the road, careful to avoid passing vehicles. Stopping in between where the buildings stood, Az and DG couldn't decide which one to go into first. As they stood debating, neither of them saw the figure rush towards them until it had knocked Azkadellia down and pulled her into the darkened alley. Az yelled out in pain, her screams echoing in DG's ears as she rushed after her sister.

In the half light, DG saw the man as he held Azkadellia by her hair, his fist wrapped in the dark strands and pulling viciously as he thrust his foot into her back to hold her down. DG ran towards the man, intending to bowl him over, but she was grabbed around the arm mid-stride and brutally yanked back. DG swung her other arm around, her fist connecting with the side of her attackers face with a sickening crunch, but his hold on her did not loosen. DG heard the sound of jangling metal and flicked her gaze over at her sister to see the man holding her down fighting to get a pair of bulky cuffs over Azkadellia's hands.

They were oddly shaped, more like steel cups that fastened over the whole hand instead of the wrists. When the teeth were finally connected with a blue flash, Az let out a horrifying scream of agony. DG tried to struggle out of the grip of her attacker but another man came up beside her and kicked her feet out from underneath her. DG hit the ground with a sharp cry, the stone scraping across her face and breaking the skin mercilessly. Her hands were then yanked behind her back painfully and she heard another pair of the bizarre shackles being pulled out.

Kicking her feet out blindly, she hit the shin of the man behind her and managed to free one of her hands. Throwing it out above her, she called up the magic and will that flowed inside of her and focused it on the palm of her hand. Bright red light burst from the focal point and streamed into the sky, casting a glow over the buildings. The light cast a sharp relief over the faces of their attackers and DG thought she recognized one before he buried his boot in her stomach.

DG let out a gasp of air as the pain radiated through her, fear welling up in her for the first time as she was rolled back over and the cuffs were placed over her hands. As they snapped shut, DG felt a jolt run through her that curdled her blood and set her nerve endings on fire. Screaming out in terror, she wildly scanned the alley for Azkadellia and found her sister lying on the ground ahead of her, eyes closed in pain, tears streaming down her face.

As DG was viciously pulled up by the cuffs, she heard someone behind her yell a warning to their attackers. Az was pulled off the ground and the pair of them were led away by the men, out the back of the alley. The last thing DG saw was a large dark vehicle before the world went black, a blindfold fastened around her eyes carelessly.

Rough hands forced Azkadellia and DG into the vehicle and DG hoped that Cain had seen the distress signal and would be able to find them. But as the doors were slammed shut and she felt the automobile rumble away, she knew with a jolt of guilt and fear that the tin man would not rescue them.

They were on their own.

* * *

Oh trust me, the cliffhangers will get worse! And I truly apologize for the delay in getting this out... my bad.


	2. The Hollow

Notes: The chapters should get longer after this, as I will have a little more time to dedicate to the story. When I'm dead on my feet after work, that is. Big props to my girlies swampmusic and Rent-A-Blank, as always. And big ups to IguanaMom for helping me clean up my grammatical errors on my_ Reaper_ piece. That's love right there. Now, onwards!

* * *

Glitch walked down the large, dark hallway that led out from his labs to the main foyer of the Finaqua castle, tracing his fingers lightly across the walls. The sensation brought a small smile to his pale features, the slight differences in masonry and texture tickling the tips of his fingers. The only sound was that of his footfalls and a little giggle every now and then when he came across a very bumpy section of wall. As he neared the main hall though, the laughter was drowned out by the sound of yelling.

Furrowing his brow, Glitch quickened his pace, the light from the foyer getting brighter as he sped up, the shouting got louder as he burst into the hall. He saw Ahamo and Lavender standing off to one side, Ahamo consoling the queen as Cain barked orders at a large group of men. A few of them nodded and took off out of the castle, the others waiting for their orders.

"Find Raw and bring him to the castle. I want him here as soon as possible!"

Two more men took off and as Cain turned his head, he spotted Glitch standing back, watching the commotion silently. The sorrow, guilt and anger in Cain's eyes spoke volumes and with the slightest of twitches, Ambrose strode over to the tin man and grabbed his shoulder roughly.

"What happened?"

For the first time in the few years that they had known each other, Cain was at a loss for words. He dipped his head forward, the ever present hat hiding his face from view. Ambrose knew that what had occurred had been awful enough to bring the stoic façade of Wyatt Cain crumbling down.

"Azkadellia and DG were taken."

Those few words caused every thought in Ambrose's head to evaporate instantly, the impact shutting down the rational, composed side of the Prince Adviser. Standing stock still, his body rigid but imperceptibly shaking with terror and rage, Ambrose stared into Cain's eyes and barely managed to speak through gritted teeth.

"Who took them?"

A hand fell on Ambrose's shoulder and he swiveled his head sharply to see Ahamo on his left, lending the man his support as he consoled his wife. The tone in the royal adviser's voice had been eerily frightening, causing even Cain to inch back at the dark inflection and Ahamo had stepped in to prevent the man from doing something he might regret.

Cain saw the intent and silently thanked him, turning his attention back to Ambrose. "Before it happened, I had spotted someone tailing the princesses. But when I had my focus on trying to figure out to shake our shadow, the girls took it as an opportunity to run off and partake in some unsupervised entertainment. When we noticed they'd gone, we went after them through the merchant district.

"That's when we saw DG's emergency flare. We followed the trail to an alley in the red light district. Folk there aren't usually loose lipped, though we did find some men who claimed to have seen a small group push two women into a large vehicle that was headed out of the city."

With a deep shuddering breath, Ambrose wrenched his gaze away from Cain and moved back to take the queen in his embrace and led her out of the main hall. Both Ahamo and Cain watched them go, waiting until they disappeared from sight to turn back to each other grimly.

"Sir, I only took my eyes off of them for a _moment_."

Ahamo raised a hand and shook his head. "Surely no one is blaming you, Cain. You cannot be held responsible for my daughters' adventurous natures. Your job now is to return them to safety, not to dwell on mistakes made past. Now, is there any way to identify the culprits of this heinous act?"

Cain nodded his head sharply.

"For some time now, we've been getting various reports of the remnants of the Longcoats coming out of their collective hiding. None of them were conclusive enough to consider them a threat... until now, that is. I have word going out in Central City and the Realm of The Unwanted that there is a substantial reward for information that leads to their captors. If they think all of the O.Z. is looking for them, they are more likely to make a crucial mistake and reveal themselves."

Ahamo nodded his head, agreeing with Cain's plan of action. He then turned on his heel and went to find his wife and Ambrose. Cain motioned to the men that still remained in the hall with a tilt of his head, leading them out of the castle, hoping with every fiber of his being that DG and Az were still alive and well.

* * *

Raw twirled the long stem of the bulgar novi around in his gloved hand and smiled, lifting his gaze to watch Kalm play in the fields with a group of young viewers. Kalm had grown much in the years following the reign of the witch and the blossom of pride that grew in his heart swelled as he heard the peals of laughter drift through the gentle breeze. Though Kalm was not his own, Raw had come to see him as such.

As the group ran further into the rolling fields, there was a sudden gust of southern wind that brought a slight chill to the air. Raw closed his eyes and sensed a distant turmoil coming towards him. Setting the flower down beside him, Raw got to his feet and slowly scanned the fields, extending his natural abilities outward to find the unsettling feeling that had surfaced.

"Kalm!"

Several heads turned to him in the distance, pondering him for a moment before they all returned to Raw's side quickly.

"Bad news coming. Kalm take young, return to others. Go quickly."

He made a slow sweeping with motion with his hands and the youngest went without commotion, but Kalm lingered at Raw's side. His deep eyes gazed up at Raw, taking in his measure knowingly.

"Raw not need be alone. Kalm stay."

The elder viewer grinned but shook his head, his wild mane obscuring most of his features. "Kalm go, have fun."

His tone was firm but not harsh. Kalm watched him for a moment more before taking off after the others. It heartened him to know Kalm had wished to stay by his side, but what was coming was not his burden to share with the young one. When he finally disappeared from sight, Raw turned to the south and crouched down on his haunches, closing his eyes tightly. Birds twittering and the ebb and flow of the breeze were the only noises that Raw's ears picked up, the serene façade belying the storm that approached.

The sun had began to sink in the sky, the shadow of the twin moons beginning to emerge, when Raw heard the first break in the stillness that surrounded him. Cautiously rising to his feet, Raw could see a group advancing towards him. When he felt no ill will emanating from them, he relaxed and moved to meet them halfway. As they grew closer, a familiar face stood out among the others.

"Jeb! Friend!"

Cain's son grinned sadly as the two greeted one another. As soon as Jeb laid a hand on Raw's shoulders, there was a flood of images and emotions that entered his mind at random. Raw gasped quietly and Jeb immediately removed his arm, as though it had burned the viewer. Raw's eyes found Jeb's, the earlier cheerfulness now gone.

"DG, Azkadellia in danger. Family in pain."

Jeb bit his lip and nodded his head. "My father was hoping you'd come to Central City with him to find Azkadellia and DG."

The words had barely left Jeb's lips when Raw bobbed his head vigorously up and down. "For DG, anything."

As the party turned and headed back towards Finaqua, there was a deafening roll of thunder above them, the large thunderheads creeping in rapidly to replace the once calm evening. Raw tilted his head upward, then back down to peer at Jeb.

"Bad sign."

* * *

Oh yeah, things are going to get very interesting in the next chapter... I sense a bombshell in my readers' future... Oh, and according to DeMarcos Reckoning, this all takes place two years after 'Going To The Chapel' and more than three years after the _Tin Man_ miniseries.


	3. Eminence Front

Notes: Many, many apologies for the delay in posting this. That crazy little thing called life and taxes got in the way and I had to attend to it with much dismay. This isn't as long as I or you would like it to be, but I have a feeling this story is going to be a toughy and a shorty. But I predict at the least, three or four more chapters before I finish it off. Again, many props to the wonderful swampmusic, who has returned from the dead and sends me fantastic vids. And to Rent-A-Blank (formerly Lady of the Willows) who I have not had the time to talk to, what with that life and taxes thing. So, without further ado, onward!

* * *

With a boom of thunder and a flash of lightening, DG awoke with a start, head shooting up quickly. She instantly regretted the movement when the muscles in her neck screamed out in agony. DG moved a hand upwards to rub at the tender cords under her flesh but was cut short. There was a tinkling of chains as she moved, her hands restricted behind her back in the queer looking shackles. Suddenly, everything that had occurred earlier that day came flooding back in a slew of images.

DG scanned the dank room she was in for any sign of Azkadellia being with her, to no avail. The sound of rain falling outside was dim, almost faint and DG knew that she had to be somewhere underground. Struggling with the chain, DG once more focused her magic into removing the cuffs from her hands. Gathering the energy to a small singularity in each hand, she released the flow outward.

As soon as the energy had left her hand, she felt a mind shattering spike flood her body and DG cried out in agony, falling onto the ground as the pain wracked through her violently. The sound of laughter could be heard from outside of where DG lay and with a creak of metal, a door opened, spilling a beam of light into the room. In the sudden light, DG was blinded for moment, but as her vision cleared, she could see the floor was nothing more than dirt and stone cobbled together to make a foundation. The ceiling of the dank cellar was high with three or four wooden beams crossing above her.

The darkened figure that opened the door crossed over to DG and hovered above her. DG could barely make out his features but what stood out the most about him was his long black leather coat bearing the symbols of the old regime that once ruled the O.Z.

"You know, the most interesting thing about those shackles that are currently around your hands is what they were designed to do."

The unexpected preamble startled DG for a moment and the man bent down on his haunches so that he was at eye level with her. She took in his face, his short brown hair with strands of gray shading his crown. Across his chin was a thin scar that appeared to be very old. His eyes were small and shining, seeming to pierce into DG.

"A long while ago, an inventor sat down and wondered how he could possibly stop an evil magical being. Pondered the question for many days, he did. Then, just like that," The man snapped his fingers loudly, "it hit him. There was an extremely rare element found in the O.Z. called diminicarium, so rare it was that it could bring fortune to any who found so much as a trace of it. So, in secret, the inventor commissioned a team to go out and gather every known ounce of the metal and melt it down to forge two pairs of shackles. One for use and one to be hidden in case anything was to happen to the first.

"You see, diminicarium acted as the opposite of Moritainium, depleting a source of all magical properties instead of amplifying it. Sadly, before the inventor could subdue this particular being and stop anyone else from getting hurt, the being cut out most of his brain and left him for dead."

DG's eyes widened.

"But these shackles had a hidden secret weapon built into them. Melted down with the diminicarium were minute traces of Moritainium, so that if someone tried to blast their way out of them, the Moritainium would multiply and focus the energy for use, but with all that diminicarium around it, the energy had nowhere else to go but back onto the originator. What better way to injure the magically inclined than to hurl their own weapons back at them?"

The man laughed at DG's expression and stood up to leave, once again casting a shadow over her and obscuring his features.

"Thought you might like to know that before you accidentally blow yourself up trying to get out of them. We can't have that, now can we?"

She stared up at him coldly and tried to suppress the fear in her voice. "Where is my sister?"

Striding back over to the door, he turned his head around to look at DG. "Azkadellia should be back at any moment. She's out visiting with some old friends."

With that, the door slammed shut, leaving DG in the dark once again. She pulled at the chains behind her once more, knowing the attempt to free herself was in vain. Scooting across the floor to lean against the hard wall, she thought of Ambrose and her parents, and hoped they would come for them soon.

* * *

Azkadellia could barely breathe through the thick black cloth covering her face as she was forced into a room by rough hands, but with her arms bound behind her, she could only hang her head forward to keep from suffocating.

Laughter rang out all around her as the same rough hands forced her to sit down. The sounds of feet scuffling and muted mumbling unnerved Azkadellia, confusing her as to why she'd been pulled from her cell with DG and blindfolded.

Suddenly, the cloth was pulled away and blinking through the sharp light, more than fifteen men surrounded Azkadellia. Eyes widening as she recognized most of them, the man with the rough hands came out from behind her.

Azkadellia gave a tiny gasp. "Branko? I thought that you were dead."

She took in the sight of one of her former generals with disbelief. The once tall and full framed man now thinner, his sandy hair now streaked with gray and the once vivid green eyes that looked down upon her now hard and cold. General Branko had been one of Azkadellia's fiercest enforcers during her twisted reign and his temper was legendary throughout the O.Z. Azkadellia began to tremble under his harsh gaze.

"It seems you were quite misinformed, my lady. Many of your former army still flourish, despite your family's... purging."

He motioned behind him and Az turned away from Branko, scanning the small room, the numerous angry faces directed at her and she knew that this was just a sampling of the former Longcoats. After the witch has been exorcised from her, they made swift work of rounding up the Longcoats. The many that had not been accounted for then or during the searches immediately thereafter had been written off as missing or dead from the battle that had led to the witch's downfall.

"What do you want, Branko? If you had wished me dead, I wouldn't be talking to you right now."

Branko smiled wanly, the expression never reaching his eyes and he leaned down to look at Azkadellia. She leaned her head back and away from him as he did so.

"My lady thinks little of me. I do not wish you dead, not in the slightest. To kill you would help my cause in no way at all. We need you alive if there is to be any progress made. But before we get down to that, we wanted you to suffer a small amount, the way we have suffered since you were deposed."

Azkadellia was taken aback at this. Her eyebrows furrowed together and her fear was transmuted into anger.

"_Suffer_? What would you know about _suffering_? You killed thousands of people and tortured many more during the witch's rule, destroying families and livelihoods as you went. You needed to be locked up for your misdeeds! Justice was dispensed to those who did what you had done. That's all there is to it. There is no suffering about it!"

Branko took advantage of his proximity to Azkadellia and grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head back sharply and eliciting a sharp cry of pain from her.

"We did those deeds under _your_ command, my lady!" His voice was pitched at a low roar and everyone in the room flinched at the seething fury that laced his words.

"All of us saw what you did to those who disobeyed your orders and refused service to you! You would take their wives and children and lock them up with the viewer's in your dungeons like animals! I was there to see firsthand the fate of General Lonot when he displeased you! You took his life force from him on a whim because he was not fast enough for your liking. Each of us knew what our futures held if we defied you in any way. We only did your bidding out of fear for our lives and those of our loved ones!

"And when you had the evil spirit dragged from you kicking and screaming, we were locked away for our crimes while you were granted a _generous_ reprieve for yours. Tell me, my lady, where is the fairness in that? The _justice_? My men and I have had to live in hiding, hoping that someone we may have hurt in the past would not recognize our faces and turn us in. We were driven away from our families and friends because of the guilt in what we had done!"

Having the good decency to appear chastened, Azkadellia cast her gaze downward, not daring to look Branko or anyone of the Longcoats in the eye. She had never thought to look at it the way Branko did.

There was never a thought in anyone's mind that her armies were only following orders. They thought that they were all as sick as Zero and instead, had locked up all the Longcoats without hesitance, while she was allowed to be free, even after all the evil she had committed.

"What is to happen after you have exacted your revenge upon me and mine?"

Branko straightened and turned to the gathered men. His voice carried no more malice, instead sounding world weary and pained at this whole ordeal.

"Myself and a few of men are prepared to turn you and your sister back over to your family and take any judgment passed on us for taking you. In exchange, we will ask that the Crown ceases the hunt for the last of us. That they let us be and allow us to return to our families and our lives."

He peered back at Azkadellia and sighed.

"Tomorrow, we will be moving to another location in effort to keep from being found. No doubt your disappearance has spread throughout the O.Z. and there will be many searching for us."

With that, he waved a hand and two men came forth to remove Azkadellia from where she was seated. The blindfold was left behind as she was removed from the room. Az now saw that they had taken refuge in an abandoned house, thought it was too dark to see out the windows they passed and determine the location of where she and DG were being held. The man to her right held her arm in a bruising grip as he led her down a narrow flight of stairs. The spare walked behind them silently.

"You should be thanking Branko. There are many of us that would see you dead for what you have done. This is truly a mercy."

Azkadellia arched an eyebrow and peered sideways at him. "Are you one of those that wished that of me?"

The man smirked and said nothing.

* * *

DG sat in the darkened room and willed herself not to start crying. The tears had welled up in her eyes and had been threatening to spill down her dirty cheeks. With each flash of lightening, menacing shadows sprang up and for the first time since her childhood, DG feared the dark. She wished that whoever had abducted them would bring Azkadellia back so that she would not be alone. Since the last guard has spoken to her, she had not heard much, save for the shuffling of numerous feet above her.

At least that told her that how many people there were between her and freedom from this place. There was no plan in DG's mind that brought escape to her and Azkadellia that would be plausible, since the Longcoats had placed them in the magic depleting shackles. The chains that held her to the wall were heavy and DG had struggled against them, hoping that whatever pinned them to the wall would come loose, but in the pitch black of the cellar, she had no hope of seeing if she'd made any progress.

Suddenly, the cellar door was opened once more, flooding the room with light. Azkadellia was pushed into the room, followed by two men wearing the same garb as the guard before.

"DG!"

Az called out to her sister, before she was shoved to the other side of the room. There, the two men hooked Azkadellia up to a chain that had been thrown around one of the support beams that crisscrossed the ceiling. Arms now suspended above her head and her feet barely reaching the ground, she looked back over to DG with despair in her eyes.

One of the men laughed cruelly and pushed Azkadellia like a child pushed on a swing and set Az rocking back, her feet scrambling for purchase on the dirt floor. The other one watched the display with a disturbingly neutral detachment.

Still not done humiliating Az, the man kicked at her feet, causing Az to fall sharply and the chain caught her weight sharply. She screamed out as her arms were wrenched in their sockets painfully. DG yelled loudly across the room for him to stop. The man, who had apparently taken no notice of DG before, now craned his head back at her.

"You want some, too? Our quarrel isn't with you and we aren't supposed to harm you in any way, but I'll be glad to give you your fair share if that's what you really want."

He had crossed the room as he spoke and now loomed over DG maliciously. He kicked at DG's feet and connected a boot with her shin. DG cried out in anguish and tried to scoot away from him, but with her arms pinned behind her, her range of movement was severely limited. As she shied away, he slowly lifted his boot again and placed it on her head and knocked her down to the ground.

Azkadellia screamed out for him to stop and struggled against her restraints, but her cries were ignored by both men.

DG hit the dirt with a dull thump and attempted to curl up around herself as she was kicked in the back and the head. The earlier tears sprang up again and now DG fought to keep from releasing an audible sob. She would not give her attacker the satisfaction of hearing her weep. She willed herself to shut down and simply take the beating, knowing that it would be over eventually.

Tiring of her backside after a few more minutes of torment, the man walked around her calmly, so that he was in front of her and could see her face, then planted a boot directly to her stomach. Screaming out in a high pitched wail, DG brought her knees up to protect herself. He laughed at the sound and reared back his foot for another go.

"No!"

The cry was sudden and loud enough to stop the man dead in his tracks, foot frozen in mid air. Azkadellia, who had her head turned away to keep from seeing her baby sister brutalized, swung her head around, as did the other man, who so far has said nothing to anyone.

DG looked up at her attacker with pleading eyes.

"Please, no more, I'm begging you!"

He tilted his head at her, confused at her unexpected outcry. He narrowed his eyes as he looked down at her.

DG continued to stare up at him. "I'm pregnant."

* * *

Dun dun dun!


	4. Electric Worry

Notes: Okay, my knowledge of how exactly the O.Z. is set up is lacking. So I'm winging it at this point. Though, when I went and seen Wicked, they had this big map acting as a curtain and I'm kind of using that as my guide. We were sitting in the second row, so I got a good gander at the set up, though I know the play and this are two separate things. But come on! Cut a girl some slack! I'm doing the best I can here. Big ups to my chicas swampmusic and Rent-A-Blank. Also gotta throw out some Kleenex to Kawaii Usagi Chan San, though I don't think she'll need them this time around... Hopefully. Still kind of winging the ending here...

* * *

Tiny droplets of chilly morning rain plunked down on the brim of Cain's hat as he looked out over the sprawling hilltop. It had stormed throughout the night, leaving the ground slick and muddy. The horse Cain sat astride nickered softly and he ran a calming hand down its neck. Next to him were Ambrose, Ahamo, Raw, Jeb and a group of tin men called in from Central City, all mounted on their own horses. After the news of Azkadellia and DG's abduction had spread, men from throughout the O.Z. had volunteered to search for them.

It had seemed like they had disappeared completely. Not a single person had seen where the vehicle had taken them, nor which direction it had been headed in. Cain had then sent teams out to the borders of the Munchkin Guilds to meet with the tribe heads and ask if they had given refuge to the group that had taken them. By evening, runners had come back to deliver reports that the forests had started to flood, forcing the search parties out of northern and western guild territories. Of the groups that had met with the different tribe heads, all had reported that no one had seen anything. Similar reports came back from the Realm of the Unwanted.

Now, with the suns rising and the light mist falling, the sense of urgency was thick around them. DG and Az had been missing for a full day and Cain had no idea where to start. They had a very generous reward out for whoever led them to the return of the sisters, but so far not one clue had surfaced. Every story was the same. The vehicle headed out of Central City and that was the last anyone saw of them.

Cain harbored a small hope that DG and Azkadellia could somehow overpower their captors with their magic and escape, but if they could, they surely would have done so already and begun the trek back to Finaqua. DG had spent her time evading the witch and the mobats before her downfall, and he knew the kid could do the same to a group of men with no problem. The fact that they hadn't or sent up another emergency flare meant that they were either completely incapacitated or dead.

He quickly shook that morbid thought from his head before it could take root. Cain was not giving up on them that easily. He snuck a glance over at Ambrose to make sure the zipperhead wasn't tearing his hair out. Since his wife and sister-in-law had disappeared, Cain had never seen him in such a state as he was in now. Forgoing his usual dour and genial demeanor, he was now barking orders and giving directions like a hardened war general. His countenance was no longer calm, for his brow was now knitted in contemplation and tactics.

Sometimes Cain would forget that this man had done everything to protect the Queen and her daughters up until the very end, and even after the fact. He had personally seen firsthand what Ambrose could do when provoked and the tin man would certainly say with no hesitation that his ire had been dangerously provoked. He sat in the saddle, drumming his fingers nervously as he scanned the area with discerning eyes.

"We should stick to the trail we are on now and wait until the suns peak before heading out to the lowlands. No doubt last night's storm flooded some of the smaller streams and rivers. It's better to wait for the ground to dry before we take the horses down there."

Ambrose then pulled out a map of the O.Z. and perused it for a moment. The cartographer had assured Cain and Ambrose that the map was the most recent depiction of the lands and that it even included some of the more obscure outlying territories and entrances to the Realm of the Unwanted.

"This ridge continues for a few spans and it will give us a mobat's view of the land from up here."

Ambrose folded up the map and tucked back into a satchel hanging from the cantle. He then turned his head to Cain, as if expecting him to object to his plan of action. Cain simply nodded his head and tugged lightly at the reins, the others following suit and the group headed further up the ridge.

They all traveled in silence, their eyes on the landscape below, watching the farmers checking for damage to their crops while children helped their mothers hang clothing on a line. They kept searching for any sort of suspicious activity in the tiny houses dotted sparsely throughout the fields. As the suns rose higher in the sky, Ahamo pointed down to an abandoned shanty of a house and Cain sent Jeb and a runner down to search the perimeter for activity.

It was careful work getting their horses down the muddy slope as the others watched with bated breath but after a few minutes, the two made it down and edged their horses slowly up to the house, heads down as they scanned the ground for footprints. Coming around to the front, Jeb dismounted and disappeared from view as he peered into the rotting windows, the other keeping his hand on his pistol, ready for action. Then Jeb appeared again a few moments later and was back in his saddle just as quickly.

The trip back up the hill was more arduous as they worked their way back up to the crest of the hill.

"No tracks to speak of, save for the animals. There wasn't any sign that it had been lived in or occupied recently either."

Cain hung his head for a moment before he motioned for the others to continue back along their plotted course.

* * *

Many hours after the suns had peaked in the sky and began their journey towards the horizon, the search party had still found no sign of Az or DG, and Cain was beginning to get saddle sore. He could tell a few of the other riders were starting to feel the same as well. They came across a hidden stream, covered by a canopy of trees and Cain dismounted from the brown dapple mare with a muted grunt, took the reins in his hand and started to lead the horse as he stretched out his limbs.

A few moments later, the others had joined him in his idea to walk and unanimously decided to sit down for a moment to let the horses drink while figuring out where they were headed next. Ambrose perched himself on top of a felled tree trunk and was buried in the hand-drawn map, mumbling to himself. Raw stayed as far from him as he could, the vibes coming off the stressed adviser overloading his system and making it hard for him to feel out for DG. The viewer slowly made his way to the trickling stream and crouched down.

Cain remained back from everyone else as he once again went over every corner of the O.Z. that he had been to in his many years. He mentally checked off places where the other search teams had been and that left very little remaining. He had been absolutely guaranteed that the Longcoats had not taken refuge the Realm of the Unwanted by Ambrose. The man had sent a letter off with one of the runners for Airofday, who replied back that her eyes and ears in the city had not seen DG.

He didn't really trust the fortuneteller's word but Ambrose did and even Ahamo had vouched for her. She may have been a backstabber but she was not a liar. So that left the northern islands and a smaller portion of the lowlands they had not been to. Cain really hoped that they had not gone to the islands. This time of year, the islands weren't yet freezing but snow had already begun to fall, which would make it would make it hard for any search party to track them.

The horses had started to mill around the tree covered hills and grazed on the long grass that grew on the river banks. Cain walked over to retrieve them and reached for the reins on a black colt when he saw something through the trees. Turning away from the horse, he tilted his head to the side to get a better view through the thick branches.

Pulling out his pistol, he snapped his fingers sharply to get the attention of the others. Hearing more than seeing them come up behind him, Cain pointed to the tree line and they slowly began to make their way through the brush.

An old house with large holes and chunks missing from the exterior sat in a small clearing, creeping ivy crawling into every opening its tendrils could find. The roof looked close to caving in and the whole house was swollen with the rain water that had seeped into the wooden frame. It looked more to them like a skeleton than a dwelling and Cain doubted anyone had lived in it for decades. Coming out near the front, Jeb made a noise and pointed at the ground.

Numerous dried tire marks and footprints sunk into the wet earth surrounded the area. As they approached the front entrance, Raw made a low whimpering noise. They all turned to look at him. Raw had curled his hands into his chest and his head was ducked away from their eyes.

"Sadness here. Pain and determination. Fear... and revenge."

Not needing any further motivation, they all carefully made their way up the steps and Cain pushed the door open carefully. The tin men all had their pistols drawn as they crept into the house. The only sounds were that of the animals outside and the creaking of the wood around them. Muddy bootprints were dotted across the floor, and used bowls and cups rested on the rickety tables set up around the parlor. Further into the house, they came across four doors stretched out along a hallway.

Opening the first door, they saw nothing more than a singular chair sitting in the middle of the room. Raw treaded softly into the room and rested a gloved hand on the chair.

"Azkadellia here. Unhurt but afraid. Saw someone unexpected."

Removing his hand, he turned back to Ambrose and Cain and shook his head. Back in the hallway, they tried the next door but found nothing but a few discarded blankets. It was the same in the next room.

"They must have bunked down in here. And if they needed two rooms, it means there are a lot of them."

That piece of information was not comforting to anyone and with fading hope, they opened the last door, which revealed a flight of stairs leading down to the cellar. Clambering down the stairs, it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the low light as they looked around.

A thick line of chain swung gently from one of the support beams and embedded in the wall was another set. Puddles of stagnant rain water dotted the dirt floor, reflecting back some light upon the group. Ambrose bent down to pick up a few links of the chain and examined it.

"If DG and Azkadellia were held here, there is no reason for them not to be able to escape. Mere chains could not hold the two of them."

Ambrose dropped the chain from his hand and stood up. Cain could hear the confusion in his voice. "This doesn't make any sense-"

He cut himself short as he peered down at something in the dirt. His eyes widened and he took a step back. Cain squinted, looking down at what caught his attention and drew in a deep breath. A tiny smattering of caked blood sat congealing next to the wall. Ambrose covered his mouth and turned away from the sight.

Raw came up beside Cain and stooped down to place a finger in the blood. He closed his eyes tightly as his body shook with the assault of images. He then gasped, eyes shooting open once more and craned his head around to gaze up at his friends.

"What is it? What did you see?"

Spotting a nearby puddle, he stretched his arm out and submerged his hand in the water. An ethereal light filled the cellar and they gathered closely around Raw as they observed the transferred vision.

Two men stood by Azkadellia as she hung screaming in her restraints, DG watching from the floor. One of them laughed sadistically at Azkadellia struggled against them, until DG yelled at them to stop.

_"You want some, too? Our quarrel isn't with you and we aren't supposed to harm you in any way, but I'll be glad to give you your fair share if that's what you really want."_

They watched on in horror as the man crossed the room and kicked at DG, Azkadellia shouting at him in the background. DG was kicked over by the man and beaten relentlessly, her face scrunched up in pain, tears streaming down her cheeks. Cain grit his teeth as he took in the face of the man and silently swore that he would kill the bastard, no matter what it took.

The man then walked around DG's prone form and kicked her stomach brutally, causing DG to yell out and curl up on herself. The horrible sounds of DG's shouts reverberated through the cellar and rode up the spines of all present, chilling them to the bone. When he brought his foot up for another attack, they all heard DG scream up at the man loudly.

_"No!"_

The man stopped abruptly, shocked at the unexpected outburst.

_"Please, no more, I'm begging you!"_

He appeared confused at DG's pleading and narrowed his eyes.

_"I'm pregnant."_

Raw ripped his hands away from water and the blood and stood up quickly. Ahamo covered his face with both hands and walked away to lean against the adjacent wall. Ambrose stood stock still, eyes still glued on the faded vision, his body shaking with barely contained surprise and anger. Cain knew they could waste no more time in finding DG, because if she lost her child while in the hands of the Longcoats, he would never forgive himself for letting the sisters out of his sight.

Jeb looked like he was going to be ill at any moment but held his stomach long enough to trade a look with his father.

Cain turned and placed a hand on Ambrose's shoulder and looked the man square in the eye. "C'mon, we shouldn't stray here any longer."

Ambrose nodded his head mutely and he followed the others back up the stairs.

The sunlight was harsh on their eyes as they stepped into the light outside and they all blinked rapidly as they adjusted to it. Cain and Ahamo headed out to look at the tire marks surrounding the house, to determine where the vehicle was off to next. Raw remained next to Ambrose as Jeb and the others went to fetch the horses.

Ambrose tilted his gaze to the sky and sighed. His beloved wife was with child and instead of celebrating the happy news with him and her family, she had to suffer at the hands of some monster, alone and afraid. She didn't deserve any of this and now the urgency to find DG and Azkadellia had multiplied tenfold. As he brought his view back to earth, he caught glimpse of a man standing a few spans away from the house, leaning calmly against a tree, dressed in black slacks and a white shirt.

It took only a moment for Ambrose to recognize him but the second it hit him, he was off and running. Raw went to call out after him, then saw what he was racing towards and he too, ran after him. Ahamo and Cain saw two blurs speeding towards the tree line.

The man watched them silently as they approached, neither attempting to stop them or run. A few seconds later, Raw let out a resounding roar as Ambrose shot his hand out and pinned him to the tree by his neck.

"What did you do with my wife?"

Ambrose raged at him as he slowly choked the man, who didn't fight against his grip. Cain was behind Ambrose in a flash, pulling the adviser off the stranger before he killed him. Ambrose struggled with Cain for a moment but Ahamo gripped him tightly by the shoulders and he stopped.

Certain Ambrose wasn't going to lunge at the man, Cain turned on him, pistol drawn and aimed at his heart. "It was you we saw, wasn't it?"

He looked confused at the question, but saw the viewer behind the tin man and understood what he meant. "Yes."

Cain pressed the barrel to chest. "You just stood there and watched as your friend beat up two defenseless girls."

He stared at Cain, brows knitted. "To be fair, he's not my friend."

Gasping as Cain painfully thrust the barrel into his flesh, he shut his mouth with a click.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?"

Taking a chance, he placed a hand on the gun and pushed it away, causing Cain to glare daggers at him.

"My name is Deka and I'm going to tell you where to find the princesses."

* * *

Oooo, the plot thickens! Okay, to make a short story even shorter, a friend I haven't seen in years is coming to town because his mother-in-law stroked out the other day. So it might be two weeks or so before I update next. I tend to sit down and write in bursts, so when I have time, I will definitely work on the next chapter.


	5. Before I Die

Notes: I beg your forgiveness for neglecting this for so long! My friends' quick trip to visit an ailing relative turned into a month long ordeal. Everyone lived and returned to their state of origin in one or more pieces. I will now attack this with gusto because I had a faboo new idea that I have to write so you readers will hate me even more! Yay! Let the hatefest begin! But before I do, I must send much love to swampmusic for sending me the _Iron Man_ soundtrack and being one down ass chick! Now, onward!

* * *

DG could feel the shining suns radiating down upon her, sending fat beads of sweat rolling down along her brow and into the thick black cloth of the blindfold wrapped tightly around her head. The humidity was thick in the air and she longed to wipe the pools of sweat from her face, but the diminicarium shackles prevented her from doing anything other than walking, tethered to her sister and led by strange hands. DG tried to walk as close to Azkadellia as she could before the hands would shove them apart, her sister whispering words of false comfort to her when she got close enough.

At the first light of dawn, a group of men had come into their dank cellar with meager servings of bread and water for them. With no other choice, the sisters had to be fed by hand, staring coldly into the eyes of their captors as they ate. They were then blindfolded, unchained and led upstairs. A commanding voice informed them that the group would be moving to another hidden safe house, to avoid being captured by the Crown's search parties.

That had been hours ago and the suns now beat down on them mercilessly. DG wanted nothing more than to sit down and rest her aching body. She could hear the other men mumbling their own words of complaint at the harsh heat but they continued to trudge on through the day. The small amount of food suddenly began to churn in DG's stomach as her body temperature rose, causing her to stumble as she walked. Hands reached out to steady her but DG carelessly shrugged them off with a roll of her shoulder. The sharp movement proved to be too much and DG quickly fell to her knees and heaved up her scant breakfast.

"DG? Are you all right?"

Azkadellia's concerned voice called out to her but she was silenced immediately. More hands reached out to DG, dragging her hair back as she spit up the last remnants of her meal. She then felt the tip of a canteen being pressed up to her lips. Greedily, she tilted her head back and let the cool liquid trickle into her mouth.

"Sir, we can't keep her going in this state. It's cruel and you said yourself that she should have no part in this. Couldn't we let her go?"

The sounds of boots swiftly approached from behind and a finger crooked into the heavy blindfold, bringing it down from her face. Squinting in the sunslight, DG looked up into a pair of cold green eyes. Peering around, she could see Az a few paces from where she knelt, blindfolded and held back by the man who had brutally tortured her the night before. The hand grasped her chin and brought her gaze back to him. He regarded her for a moment before releasing her from his hold.

"I am truly sorry for bringing you into the horrid business, girl. My quarrel is not with you or your unborn child."

The man holding DG darted forward and threw his hand out. "General Branko, you cannot let her go free! She is just as much to blame for all that has happened as Azkadellia is. Because she is with child is of no consequence to what she has brought down upon us!"

Branko leveled his gaze upon the outraged man and narrowed his eyes. "This may be true, Kenric, but we are not savages and I do not want another ill action hanging over my already overburdened head! I have done enough damage and will do more to this girl's family but this I will _not_ allow her to suffer!"

He bent down to pick DG up but Kenric stepped in front of him once more. "If you let her free, she will use her magics to release Azkadellia and this will all be for naught! It is madness, General!"

Branko pushed Kenric back and away from him violently. DG watched all of this, her eyes darting back and forth as the men surrounding them branched off onto sides of the argument. A few of them stood behind Kenric but the majority backed Branko.

"Do you not think that I have considered this already?"

Turning his back on Kenric, the action sending a clear message to him, Branko yanked DG to her feet and ripped the hanging blindfold from her neck. Grabbing the rope that tethered Az and DG together, he nimbly untied the knot from around the shackles and handed the rope of to Kenric, who leveled his seething gaze on DG.

"I cannot release you from the shackles but this is the least I can do. A day's journey in that direction should bring you out into sympathetic arms." Branko extended his hand out eastward, through a dense copse of trees. "However, if we happen to find you following us, we will have to capture you again and I will not be so forgiving next time."

DG craned her head around to Azkadellia, not wanting to leave her sister in the hands of the Longcoats. She hated the idea of being set free while Az suffered. Seeming to feel DG's eyes upon her, Az nodded her head once. It was all that was needed to send DG running into the bush quickly before Branko thought to change his mind.

'_Don't worry, Az. I will be back to save you_.'

* * *

Deka sat quietly as Raw pressed his hands to the Longcoats' temple and began to read him. Vague images flashed in Deka's mind as the viewer sifted through his thoughts. Ambrose, Ahamo and Cain sat a few feet from them, still unsure of Deka's intentions. Cain was certain this was a trap laid out for them, while Ambrose did not care either way as long as they could ascertain Az and DG's location. Cain grudgingly agreed to allow Raw to read Deka to determine if his intentions were true.

Raw slowly brought his hands down and turned towards Ahamo, Cain and Ambrose, nodding once. Deka let out a sigh of relief and stood up, his eyes passing over all of them in turn.

"Now that we are done wasting time, do you want to find the princesses or not? Branko already has half a day on us and you still need to muster the rest of your parties if you wish to fight them."

Ahamo turned his neck upwards and narrowed his eyes. "Branko is leading this band of Longcoats?"

Deka crossed his arms in front of his chest and nodded tersely.

A quick smile dared to cross Ahamo's face before it just as quickly disappeared. "There may be some hope yet to finding my daughters alive."

Cain and Ambrose appeared confused at Ahamo's declaration, both of them looking at him quizzically.

"General Branko may be ruthless and fierce in his way of handling people and events around him, but from what I heard in my spans in the Realm of the Unwanted, he was firm and fair as well. Whereas Zero would be merciless with anyone he came across, Branko would give people some small benefit of the doubt. No question he killed his fair share of the witch's opponents and detractors but he was brutal only to a point. If he has captured Azkadellia and DG, he does not mean to kill them. He has something more in store for them."

With this, he turned to Deka and arched an eyebrow. Deka nodded solemnly.

"He intends to offer their return and his surrender in exchange for clemency of our group's previous crimes. Most of us were good men who have families we cannot return to, for fear of arrest. We argue that we did our acts under threat of retribution from the witch and for no other reason. We believe it was not right for the princess to be forgiven her crimes while we are persecuted for them. Though there are a few in our ranks who took pleasure in torturing others with much relish... That is why I chose to seek you out. I fear that my compatriot, Kenric, means to do more harm to DG and Azkadellia than Branko intended. When DG informed us of her state, he still intended to do her ill. Had I not stepped in, who knows what he would have done to her."

Ambrose clenched his fists at the memory of the man Raw had shown them. "Where are they headed now?"

Deka unfolded his arms, glad that someone had finally had enough of talking. "There is an old outpost near the territories of the Southern Guild that are unwatched. With last night's flooding, it is ideal for hiding out without fear of being discovered. If we start after them now, we should get there by next daybreak."

Cain nodded and headed off to inform Jeb to send word out to the other search parties, Raw following quietly behind him. Ambrose merely stood and stared at Deka, Ahamo a few paces back in case he decided to Glitch out and attack the man. After a few moments of silence, Ambrose approached him, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Why are choosing to help us? If you agreed to go along with such a plan, why would my wife being pregnant _suddenly_ change your mind?"

Deka hung his head, shielding his gaze from Ambrose and rubbed the back of his neck.

"My daughter is close to giving birth and I would not tolerate anyone deciding to do her such harm, simply for personal enjoyment. It seemed unfair to not do the same for anyone else, if not wholly hypocritical. Branko always told us that no matter the order given to us, we should always follow our own beliefs and instincts in dealing with those we encounter. He spared just as many as he killed because of this credo and we stayed with him for that reason."

Ambrose regarded him with a wary eye before nodding his head and walking away.

* * *

DG let out a deep breath of air as she fell to the ground next to a cascading river. Awkwardly bending down, she sucked the water into her mouth, then dunked her head below the surface to wet her face before collapsing back on the ground. The suns had only just set, the air was finally beginning to cool and DG was tired, sweating and sick to her stomach.

She had tried to keep in the direction Branko had pointed her in, but the brush was too thick to go through and she had to veer off path more than once to avoid treacherous terrain. As she walked, she had happened upon a bush with flowering berries but without being able to use her hands, eating had been difficult. DG's stomach growled loudly and though she couldn't feel the baby moving yet, she was well aware that it was hungry as well.

The thought of walking anymore did not appeal to her, her body already rebelling from the hours of running away from Branko and the other Longcoats. She knew however, that if she sat and rested, she would lose time on getting to wherever the man had sent her. She was still chained up by the diminicarium cuffs and sleeping would be uncomfortable with her hands stuck at her back. As she lay motionless at the bank of the river, her brain was beginning to shut down, and she relented the battle, closing her eyes.

A branch snapping in the distance and muted footfalls broke the spell of sleep and DG sat up, scanning the area around her. There wasn't an abundance of dangerous predators in the O.Z. but without knowing her exact location, she could not be certain as to what had caused the noise. A moment later, there was a crunch of leaves and DG became aware that no animal could cause such a sound.

Getting to her feet, DG quickly dashed into the river and waded through the water. The cold sent a shock through her body as she trudged through the shallow depths and she started shivering as she came up on the other side. Looking around once more, DG saw nothing creeping out from the trees after her. Releasing a labored breath, DG chalked it up to stress and paranoia, and she moved further into the woods to look for a suitable place to hunker down for a few hours. Her journey with Cain, Glitch and Raw had taught her a few handy tricks about wilderness survival.

But no sooner had she located an old hollowed out tree trunk, she heard the sound of thrashing water. Carefully peering out through a small clearing, she saw a figure treading the river quickly. As the figure stepped foot on the bank, DG caught a glimpse of his face and a jolt of terror shot through her body.

As though he could sense her eyes upon him, Kenric grinned as DG turned and tore away through the forest, desperate to put distance between her and her tormentor.

"Run all you want, princess! You can't escape! When I get my hands on you, I'm going to slit your pretty throat!"

* * *

(cackles)

Don't worry, I have some positive planned for the next chapter. Not much, mind you. But it should make up for all the cruelty I'm putting everyone through. Hopefully...


	6. Cause For Alarm

Notes: Holy shit! Has it really been more than three years? Geez Louise! I've been going through all my old fics, updating and editing them and this was on the list. Going back over it, I ended up rewatching Tin Man on the Netflix and bam! I was once again inspired. Though I don't recall where I was originally heading with this, I'm sure I can finish it up nicely. Hopefully all you wonderful people are still out there and I hope this makes up for the years of waiting… If not, feel free to spork me to death.

* * *

Creeping up on the old, dilapidated outpost shack, Cain swept his eyes around the area, checking for any signs of a guard. In the early dawn hours, the forest was dark and quiet around them, save for the ambient sounds of nature. Ambrose, Raw, Ahamo, Jeb, Deka and his small contingent of tin men knelt a few paces behind him, waiting for his signal. The group was smaller than Cain would have liked, but their runners had to scatter to the far corners of the O.Z. to inform the other search parties of their new lead to the south. They were lucky to have the dozen or so men they had now, those that had been searching close to the Southern Guild territories when the runners found them. Still, it was better than a kick in the pants, he thought sardonically.

Making his way back to the group carefully, Cain pulled his pistol from its holster and flipped the chamber open, checking his rounds. "No sign of any watches around the perimeter. They must have all bedded down for the night, thinking they would be safe this far out." When Jeb tilted his head in confusion, Cain thumbed the chamber back in place and glanced over at him.

"This outpost hasn't been used in several spans, even before the witch took over. Not a lot of lawbreakers out in these parts and the Crown had no use for it either. Besides the Southern Guild nearby, this area was all but worthless. Too much flooding from the rivers for anyone to scrape a decent living off the land, even with the fertile ground. Probably why they chose the place, what with the storms the other day."

The veteran tin men all nodded, remembering when the outpost had been decommissioned, Deka, Ambrose and Ahamo even nodding their heads as they recalled it. Only Raw and Jeb still appeared confused by the peril the Longcoats were taking chances with.

"Surely, they wouldn't risk coming this close to the Southern Guild just to take a chance being flooded out. The Guilds all back the Crown and would benefit from receiving the reward if they found Azkadellia and DG."

Clapping his son on the shoulder, Cain arched a pale brow, a hint of a smile on his face. "People do stupid things when they think they're being clever. The closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm." Jeb seemed to take that under consideration and saw the inherent truth in it.

"Now, here's the plan… From what I remember of this old place, there's no cellar like there was in the last place. Building one with this water table would make it a fool's errand. So they've most likely got DG and Az in the back rooms, away from the front door, just in case. Which means Branko's men are all sleeping in the front, a barrier between them and the girls. So Jeb, Marlo, Kerr, Murphy and I will go in first. The rest of you, I want you to fan out around the front, ready to come in after us. If we're lucky, we'll take them down without anyone getting hurt. But I want guns ready, just in case."

Cain looked at the tin men around him. "You hear anything, raid the place. Take down anything that moves, just watch your shots. The structure is old and you don't want to risk hitting the princesses with a stray bullet. Ambrose, Ahamo, Raw, when we clear the place, you go for the girls while we're securing the Longcoats. Getting them out is more important than anything else, even capturing Branko and his men."

Ambrose nodded resolutely at that. Despite the heinousness of their crimes, the Longcoats were so far down on his list of necessity at that point. All that mattered to him was making sure DG and his child was safe in his arms. Everything else ran a distant second. Hands curling up into fists, Ambrose looked to his friend, waiting for his signal.

Thumbing the hammer back on his revolver, Cain flicked pale eyes over his group of men, seeing the determination on their faces.

"Let's go."

* * *

No matter where DG hid, or how hard she ran, there was no escaping from the Longcoat. With her hands shackled behind her, she had little mobility and she knew she was leaving an trail for her pursuer to follow. It seemed there was no shaking him. Every time she thought she lost him or hid somewhere in the dark, he would be on her, calling out to her menacingly.

With the suns rising, there would be little chance she could keep ahead of him and she prayed hard that General Branko had been right, that she would find safe harbor soon. She knew she had to be somewhere close to the Eastern Guilds and for the first time, she couldn't wait to see the Munchkins surrounding her, decked out in their war paint and feathers.

Stopping to catch her breath, clothing soaked in sweat and rumpled from running all night, DG panted harshly, throat parched and aching for water. She wouldn't last for much longer and after a few more moments rest, she dashed off into the thicket once more.

* * *

Shifting on his bedroll, tossing around for the hundredth time on the unforgiving wooden floor, Branko tried to drift back into sleep, only to be urged into wakefulness by years of hardened military training. Something had changed around him, something that wasn't right but before he could open his eyes to check his surroundings, the cold barrel of a gun was pressed into his temple.

"Move and I'll ventilate your skull."

Branko kept as still as he could, turning his head slightly and opened his eyes to see Wyatt freakin' Cain standing over him. If looks could kill, Branko knew he would have been fried alive where he lay. The tin man and his cohorts were spread out around his men as they slept, guns drawn as they kicked everyone awake.

"Easy now, Cain, no one needs to get hurt." He could see the confusion on Cain's face, but he wasn't going to risk of their lives, not when all this had been because he wanted freedom from all their pasts. Fighting now would just do more harm than good. Branko was just upset DG had found her friends and got back on their trail so fast. From their position in the woods, it should have taken her a day to find civilization and longer to backtrack, only to find them once more gone, on to another safe house.

"As long as the rest of your men understand that, this should all be relatively painless." Fearing a trap, despite Deka's reassurance that Branko and the Longcoats had no intention of harming the princesses, Cain kept his revolver trained on the general while his men were secured. Some looked defiant as the tin men moved around, others accepting the fact that they'd been caught with sullen expressions. Whistling for the others, Ambrose rushed in, Ahamo, Raw and the others behind him.

Moving swiftly past the Longcoats, Ambrose headed toward the back of the outpost, where Cain said the girls would be. Knocking past a few stray legs and bumping through bodies, his steps clicked on the old hardwood floors sharply. Banging open the first door he came across, Ambrose swept his gaze over the empty room before continuing on. In the second room, a small, disused kitchen, they found Azkadellia chained and blindfolded to an old stove.

"Az!" Ahamo exclaimed, sliding to his knees in front of his daughter and carefully removing her blindfold. "Oh, darling, are you all right?" She was dirty and bruised but her dark eyes lit up when she blinked and found herself surrounded by familiar faces. Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks as her father unbound the ropes from her arms and pulled her into a hug.

"Dad… Yes, I'm fine! Oh, I can't believe DG found you all so fast!" Pulling back, she glanced up at Ambrose and Raw. "Is she okay? Is she with you?"

Running a hand through Azkadellia's disheveled hair, Ahamo titled his head to the side. "What do you mean, Az? We haven't seen DG since you two were taken… She's not here with you?"

Biting his lip to keep from screaming in rage, Ambrose stormed out of the kitchen and back into the main room. Swinging his leg, he kicked Branko as hard as he could, remembering how the Longcoat had kicked his wife. Cain had to bodily hold him back from doing something worse. "_Where is DG_?"

Grimacing in pain, Branko stared up at Cain and Ambrose, confusion painted on his features. "What do you mean? We set her free yesterday! Isn't she the one who led you to us?"

Shaking his head, trying to process what was going on, Cain glanced back and forth from Ambrose to Branko, loosening the hold on his friend. Keeping an eye on Ambrose, Cain faced the general. "We thought you were holding both the princesses… Where did you let her go?"

Thinking about the terrain, Branko took in a deep breath. "A little more than half a day north of here. We sent her east, where she should have walked into guild territory, just off the Brick Route. After that, it should have been a short jaunt to Central City. If she's not with you, she must still be out there. It's only a day's walk from where we were. Maybe more."

When Branko spotted Deka peek his head in the door, he understood how they'd been found so quickly, if it hadn't been the princess. "I see now… We had a traitor in our midst."

Deka peered over at Branko. "Not a traitor." Walking around the room, he took in every face carefully, before stopping short. "Kenric's not here… Where is he?" Double checking every Longcoat, he frowned. A man, Harland, spoke up.

"He was here last night. He went out into the woods to relieve himself. But. I haven't seen him since then." The others nodded their heads, not recalling seeing their comrade return. "Cain, if he's not here…"

He didn't have to be told. Cain traded glances with Ambrose. If the man who'd brutalized DG was gone, it meant he'd gone after her. And that he was going to kill her.

* * *

I'm a little rusty after all this time, so let me know if you spot and grammatical errors or misspellings.


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